The standard rectangular solid-bodied pillow has been in common use for many years in spite of a number of serious drawbacks. Standard pillows exert a good deal of pressure on a user's face when the user is lying in a side position, which is a favorite sleeping position for many people. This pressure is generally uneven and can result in creasing of the face, especially in areas of relatively high pressure. As the user grows older, these creases become increasingly persistent and may not completely fade until several hours after the user has awakened. Moreover, over a period of time the daily pressure on the face for a period of several hours may encourage the formation of permanent facial wrinkles and thus accelerate the aging of the face. In addition to having undesirable effects on the face of a user, conventional pillows do not properly support the neck and head of a user and, therefore, can lead to relative discomfort during sleep or rest and neck pains or backaches following sleep or rest periods. Still another drawback of conventional pillows is that they can cause earaches because they exert pressure on the ear of a user lying in a side position.
Headrests having openings to allow breathing in a prone position are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,242,598, granted Oct. 9, 1917, to J. W. Riddle; No. 1,542,674, granted June 16, 1925, to A. O. Darling; No. 2,551,727, granted May 8, 1951, to A. C. Costello; No. 2,556,629, granted June 12, 1951, to C. M. O'Brien; No. 2,688,142, granted Sept. 7, 1954, to E. V. Jensen; and No. 2,810,920, granted Oct. 29, 1957, to W. T. Carruth. The Jensen headrest has bar-like side members that engage the face, a forward chin support, and a forwardly sloping forehead support. U.S. Pat. No. 1,020,444, granted Mar. 19, 1912, to S. L. Platt, discloses a pillow having rolls of firmer material incorported along its longitudinal edges to prevent the head from thrusting forward when the user is in a supine position. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,765,480, granted Oct. 9, 1956, to E. S. Mueller, and 2,952,856, granted Sept. 20, 1960, to C. B. Ruff, each disclose a pillow having two side pads connected by a flat web.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,602,928, granted Sept. 7, 1971, to F. V. Helzer, discloses an inflatable pillow having a forward portion for supporting the neck, shoulders, and lower head of the user, a central aperture for protecting the hairdo of the user, and a surge chamber rearward of the aperture. The aperture is elongated, and the pillow is described as being suitable for use in a supine prone, or side position. Helzer also discloses a cover for the forward support portion of the pillow. The cover is a flat cloth with four triangular corner pockets that engage the forward corners of the pillow when the cover is wrapped around the forward portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,400,413, granted Sept. 10, 1968, to E. La Grossa, discloses a contoured pillow having a central contoured depression for accommodating hair curlers. The depression has outwardly and upwardly curved side and end walls that are described as permitting the user's head to turn in any way during sleep.
Various uses for apertured pillows are discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,281, granted Nov. 19, 1974, to D. I. Mathews. The uses discussed include supporting the head of a sleeping or reclining infant to avoid undesirable effects on the formation of the ears and head when the infant favors sleeping on one side of the head. Mathews discloses a cover for apertured pillows having a toroidal or other shape. The cover does not have any fasteners that might be swallowed by an infant. The cover includes two attached "enclosures" that fit around the pillow and double over each other to leave the aperture open.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,167,622, granted Aug. 1, 1939, to M. Bentivoglio, discloses a pillow having two opposite side wings and a miniature forward bolster for supporting the neck. The side wings are separated by a generally flat, forwardly inclined portion and engage the sides of the head. The rear space between the side wings is described as allowing ventilation of the head and sufficient clearance for a hairdo rearwardly of the pillow to avoid disturbing the hair.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,561,931, granted July 24, 1951, to E. H. Kleiser, Jr., discloses a generally horseshoe-shaped inflatable pillow. The pillow has a body shaped like two-thirds of a toroid with a rounded cross section having an inner perimeter of reduced thickness.
German Utility Pat. No. 101,524.0, in the name of H. Gienanth, opened to public inspection Nov. 5, 1981, discloses an orthopedic pillow. The pillow has a central aperture and opposite, apparently alternative, neck supports. The edge of the aperture adjacent one of the neck supports is straight and meets the sides of the aperture at substantially right angles. The edge of the aperture adjacent the other neck support has a curved, generally circular configuration.
Pillows with central depressions are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,276,046, granted Oct. 4, 1966, to G. L. Capelli; 3,829,917, granted Aug. 20, 1974, to E. W. De Laittre, deceased et al.; and 3,900,910, granted Aug. 26, 1975, to Y. Nakata. In the Capelli pillow, the sidewalls of the body of the pillow forming a central cavity are described as providing support for the temple, cheek, chin, neck, and back of the head and as providing the desired facial support. The De Laittre et al. pillow has a central trough on which the user rests his head and the bottom wall of which is illustrated as exerting supporting forces on the side of the head. Nakata discloses a water pillow having a top wall with a concavity and a bottom wall with concave grooves that maintain the water balance within the pillow and prevent water from being displaced from the area of the top concavity when a user rests his head on the concavity.
The above patents and the prior art that is discussed and/or cited therein should be studied for the purpose of putting the present invention into proper perspective relative to the prior art.